DRAKE announces first ever Australian headline shows with special guest 2 CHAINZ

Nov 24, 2014

Frontier Touring and Illusive are thrilled to confirm that Canadian hip-hop superstar Drake will be performing headline shows in Australia for the very first time; playing Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane while in the country to headline Future Music Festival in summer 2015. In further exciting news, 2 Chainz will be kicking off the night as Drake’s very special guest.

‘Hip-hop’s current center of gravity’ – NY Times

‘There’s never been a hip-hop star quite like him’ – Rolling Stone

‘…an exhilarating change of pace for the genre’ – Consequence of Sound

For the past few years, Drake has sat at the nucleus of the worldwide rap and R&B worlds. It’s hard to think of another artist in recent history who has so successfully ridden the lines between out-and-out international megastar and critical darling. While regularly topping the Billboard Chart and arenas worldwide, he also tops Pitchfork lists and is so staunchly followed by blogs, critics and the internet in general that he has almost become a human meme. And for good reason – he has released some of the most cutting edge, relatable, anthemic, profound, impossible-to-categorise music this side of the millennium. The man is a once-in-a-generation phenomenon.

The Toronto-raised rapper’s list of admirers and collaborators is second to none: he has collaborated with the cream of the music industry including Beyoncé, Jay Z, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and Kanye West.

Having recently toured the United States on the ‘Drake vs Lil Wayne’ co-headline tour, Drake brings with him an extensive production that is nothing short of spectacular with a show that includes pyrotechnics, fire, lasers, extensive lighting, sound systems and so much more.

Renowned for one of the biggest live productions by a hip hop artist – this show is going to be huge!

Drake first won hearts the world over as junior high schooler Jimmy Brooks on Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation. Whilst appearing in the show, Drake released several mixtapes which caught the attention one of the genre’s trailblazers, Lil Wayne.

Immediately after hearing his mix, Lil Wayne invited Drake to board a flight to Houston that night to join his national tour. After touring and recording with his mentor throughout 2008, Drake signed to Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment label in 2009.

Three studio albums, a Grammy Award, eleven BET Awards and three Juno Awards later, Drake has evolved to become one of the most innovative and acclaimed rappers, record producers and songwriters ever.

Drake has proven he has the star power to back up the critical acclaim with over five million albums sold worldwide, hundreds of millions of streams across the globe and the record for the most #1 hits on Billboard’s R&B/Hip Hop Chart to his name thanks to chart toppers like ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home’ (ft. Majid Jordan), ‘Started From The Bottom’, ‘Take Care’ (ft. Rihanna), and ‘Headlines’. His latest two albums, ‘Take Care’ and ‘Nothing Was The Same’ are both considered bona fide modern classics.

Last month Drake scored his 72nd Billboard Hot 100 entry – overtaking The Beatles. With fourth album Views from the 6 due for release in mid-2015 (through Universal), Drake has been dropping precursory non-album tracks on Soundcloud including ‘0 to 100/The Catch Up’, ‘Draft Day’ and ‘Trophies’ which have over 50 million plays between them on that platform alone. Surely Drake is set to break even more sales and chart records in the months to come once the singles from the album begin to surface. Those lucky enough to be in attendance will be amongst the first to hear these new tracks live in all their glory!

With the October’s Very Own (OVO) brand, Drake has also built an empire, including label OVOSOUND and annual OVOFEST which has featured the likes of powerhouses including Eminem, Outkast and Jay Z.

Drake’s friend and frequent collaborator 2 Chainz will be joining him on stage at these not to be missed headline shows. Responsible for some of the biggest jams of the past few years including ‘No Lie’ (ft. Drake), ‘Birthday Song’ (ft. Kanye West) and ‘I’m Different’, the four-time BET Award winner and Grammy nominated rapper will set the mood for the night in his inimitable and flawless style.

Drake will hit arenas in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane from Wed 25 Feb – Thu 5 March. Don’t fret Adelaide – he’ll be bringing his full production to his headlining show at Future Music Festival 2015 on Mon 9 March.

Drake’s first trip to Australia will be talked about for many years to come. Make sure you grab tickets before they sell out!

DRAKEWITH SPECIAL GUEST 2 CHAINZFEBRUARY 2015Frontier Members pre-sale via frontiertouring.com/drake runsThursday 27 November (2pm AEDT) to Friday 28 November (2pm AEDT)(or ends earlier if pre-sale allocation exhausted)General public on sale from 10am local time, Monday 1 December